Convertible end gate hinge



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W W? EL J F JELHNEK mm 7 CONVERTIBLE END GATE HINGE Filed April 13, 19402 Sheets-Sheet l M JW Hum? 11 J. 1F". JELINIEK ET AL.

CONVERTIBLE END GATE HINGE Filed April 13, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Patented June 17, 1941 Joseph ,Jelinek, -.Minneapolis, and EmmetOReilly, St. [Pan], Minn.,;assi gnors to St. Paul Hydraulic HoistCompany, Minneapolis, Minn, acorporationof Michigan Application-April13, 1940,Serial No. 329,440

.hioolaims. (o1. 16-163) This invention relates "to improvements intailgate hinges as usedfor connecting and supporting the tail or rear endgatein'adumptruck bo'dy.

'Such gates areusually arrangedto hinge "at either lower or upper edgesin ordertd-swing downward or upward when released, according to the kind'of "material being hauled. In dumping material, particularly of'anature'inwhich the component parts are large and have a tendency toclingtogether, it is desirable that the gate openupwardly and also shiftbodily upward from thetruck body in order to give the greatest possibledumping opening. Top hinges for thispurpose have been usedrbut they areof such nature that-they cannot operate when a top box is used atopthe-truckbody unless the-box is shortened to clear at'its rear end,andthey are 'further so constructed-that they provide an unsightlyprojection above the corner posts andare exposed to considerable dangerof breakage.

Our invention provides a convertible typeof hinge .bywhich thetail gatemay be'hinged to swing in usual mannerwhen a top box is used on thetruck body'and then, by a simple change requiring no tools, arranged toshift upward-as'it is opened to provide a larger opening-when dumpingsuch materials as brush, garbagal and the like. Another object istoprovidea hinge structure of this kind in which all *parts are disposedbelow the level of the 'body corner post and are thus'protectedandconcealed. A furtherobject is to provide an improved end gateconstruction ofthis'nature having means for receiving and concealing theusual spreader chains when not in use. 1

These and other more detailed andspecific ob jects will be disclosed inthe course of thefollowing specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings in which- Fig.1 is aperspective View of therearportion of a truck body showing -our improved hinge structuresupportingthe tail gate at a position giving the maximum dumpingopening.

Fig. 2 is a similar view but showing the-hinge structure arranged foruse Where a top box'is employed on the body and showing the tailgateswung partially open. 1

Fig. 3 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale of one otthe hingebracket members.

Fig. l'is an enlarged side elevation ofa rear portion of thetruck bodyshowingthe tail gate in closed position and sshowingiaifragment.of a topbox arranged on thebody.

. Fig. 5 is a, similar zviewzofzan .upper lrear 1130131 tionof-the'bodyshowing a modified hinge structure and a-side'board on the body, aportion of thecornerpost'being broken away to better disclose the hingeconstruction.

Fig; 6 is a-plan view of a rear corner portion of the truck l body andbinge structure.

Fig.''? is an enlarged elevational view of the locking pin forthe hinge.

Fig.z8 is asimilar view of the retaining link for the locking pin.

Referring now more particularly andby reference characters to thedrawings, a substantially conventional type of truck body isindicatedgenerally at A, and the tail orend gate therefor at B. The!body A comprises the bottom or-floor l0 and upstanding sides II, and isopen at therear to permit dumping of material outwardly and rearwardly.The rear opening is normally closed by thetail gateB, which isaccordingly of the properdimensionand shape for'the purpose.

.The sides H terminate rearwardlyin upstanding corner posts l2towhichthe gate 13 is adapted to be;hinged"and for this purposeconventional, combination lower hinge and latch units 13 are secured tothe rear lower faces of the corner posts. Lower corners of the gate Bare then provided with laterally extended'hinge studs JM adapted topivot in said units l3 when the gate is to be swung downwardlyandrearwardly as for instance for shoveling material fromthe truck body.The units liiyhowever, include latch members l5:which, whenoperated bythe conventional forwardly located lever (not shown), release the studs14 allowing the gate to swing free at its lower edge. This is of coursethe actionwhen the-body is tilted rearwardly for dumping and for thispurpose the tail gate is arranged also'to hinge at its upper edge aswill now be described.

The corner posts 12 have their upper ends recessed off at upper rearportions as designated at [6 to receive thereon the hinge mounting'orbracket members I! which are welded'inthese recesses to lie flush withthe topofthe-posts. The said members ll are channel shaped andcomprisethe longitudinally extended and upright sides .orplates 18joined by a forwardendor bight l9 and .spacedlower Webs 2t to definetherebetween a channel or grooves as .clearly shown. :Hinge links orbars 2i are adapted to. lie and swing freely. in these channels in themembers IT, and at one (rear) end these links are. pivotally mounted atupper lateral corners of the tailgate B upon ,short studs. 22- (seeFig.6) extended therefrom. Saidstuds .22 are'extended from :end.zplatesul Bsecuredutorthe: ends. eithatail gate and the links areretained in place by collars 24 secured to the studs.

The sides I 8 of the members I! have longitudinally spaced front andrear openings 25 and 26 transversely aXised as shown to register withsimilarly spaced openings 21 and 28 in the links 2|. Locking pins 29 maythus be inserted through either the forward or rear openings to mountthe links in the bracket members, and these pins have heads 39 at innerends and circumferential grooves 3| near their outer ends to receivelocking links 32. The links 32 have narrow ends 33 adapted tofrictionally engage the grooves 3| and retain the pins in place, thelinks being of course releasable from the pins by moving them endwise topermit their longer ends 34 to clear. Short tie chains 35 secured at 36to outer sides of the corner posts are connected as shown to the links32 to prevent their becoming lost.

In operation the tail gate 13 may of course be lowered from its hingedconnection with the units |3 in usual manner, and the lock pins 29 areremoved for this operation so that the links 2| may hang free. When itis desired to hinge the tail gate from the upper edge then the links 2|are placed in the members H and the pins 29 are inserted through therear openings 26 and 28 locking the links against either upward ordownward movement in. the said members and allowing the gate to swingfreely from the pivots 22 as shown in Fig. 2. This operation of the gatepermits the mounting of the top box as shown at 31 in Fig. 4 withoutinterference.

In the dumping of large materials it is, as heretofore stated, ofadvantage to have the greatest possible dumping opening, and for thispurpose the lock pins 29 may be removed from the rear opening 26 and 23and moved to the forward openings 25 and 21, whereupon the links 2| mayswing bodily upward at their rear ends as the gate opens, as clearlyseen in Fig. l. The opening is thus increased by the amount of thisupward extension of the links, across the entire width of the body, andis obviously of substantial benefit in operation.

The links 2| may thus be either locked in place (pins in rear openings)by contact with the mounting members H, or may be left free at theirrear ends (pins in forward openings) to support the gate withoutdownward displacement, but allow it to shift bodily upward when openedin the dumping operation. In the closed position of the tail gate, ineither position of the pins, the links are received and enclosed belowthe level of the upper end of the corner posts I! and are thus protectedfrom breakage by the shovel usually employed in. filling the truck.

The convertible feature of the hinge is of further advantage since thetop box 31 may, as shown, extend clear to the rear end of the truck bodyand, since the box is usually employed only when handling light andbulky materials such as coal, the arrangement shown in Fig. 2 with thegate swinging from the rigidly supported links will then provide anentirely adequate dumping opening for such materials. On the other hand,the arrangement of free links as shown in Fig. 1 will of course notoperate effectively with the overhanging box in place, but this actionis not gate B. In this manner the links may be rigidly mounted withrespect to the gate, and the locking pins 29 are of course then placedthrough the forward openings 25 and 21 to provide an opening actionsimilar to that in Fig. 1. Also as shown in this view the corner postsI2 are, as usual, provided with forwardly and upwardly opening pocketsor recesses, one of which is shown at 40. The conventional side boards,one of which is shown at 4|, may be arranged in these pockets toslightly increase the capacity of the body, and the hinge mechanism willof course work in either manner described where such boards are used, aswill be apparent.

- When the tail gate is opened as shown in Fig. 2, spreader chains 42are usually employed at each end' tolimit the movement. These chains areconnected at one end to staples 43 on the ends of the gate, and when inuse are trained downwardly within clips 44 near the lower edge of thegate, and are then turned forwardly and hooked at their ends in openings45 formed in rear faces of the corner posts l2. Likewise when the gateis opened in a downward direction the chains 42 are hooked'at their endsin other openings 46 near upper ends of the corner posts, and the chainsof course limit the opening movement in either direction. However, whenthe gate is closed the chains are not in use, and they have hithertobeen allowed to dangle free, causing an undue noise and wear. Inaccordance with our invention the tail gate is formed with thereinforcing, hollow, rearwardly projecting marginal portions 41 andcenter portions 48, and the end portions are provided with openings 49adjacent the staples 43 to which the chains are connected. It is thuspossible, as shown in Fig. 4, to insert the loose ends of the chainsthrough these openings and tuck the entire length of the chains withinthe hollow ends of the gate to prevent this noise and wear.

It is understood that suitable modifications may be made in thestructure as disclosed, provided such modifications come within thespirit and scope of the appended claims. Having now therefore fullyillustrated and described our invention, what we claim to be new anddesire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. A hinge for connecting the upper corner of a tail gate to the rearcorner of a truck body, comprising a bracket member secured to the body,the said member including spaced upstanding side portions defining alongitudinal rearwardly and upwardly opening space therebetween andhaving front and rear transverse apertures, a link pivotally connectedat one end to the tail gate and extending therefrom forwardly betweenthe said side portions, means supporting the link against downwardmovement with respect to the bracket member, the said link havingapertures spaced apart to register with the apertures in the sideportions, and a locking pin adapted for insertion in either the front orrear apertures in the side portions and in the link to therebyselectively pivotally or rigidly support the link in the bracket member.

2. A hinge for connecting the upper corner of a tail gate to the rearcorner of a truck body, comprising a bracket member secured to the body,the said member including spaced upstanding side portions defining alongitudinal rearwardly and upwardly opening space therebetween andhaving front and rear transverse apertures, a link pivotally connectedat one end to the tail gate and extending therefrom forwardly betweenthe said side portions, the said link having apertures spaced apart toregister with the apertures in the said side portions, a locking pin forremovable insertion in either the front or rear apertures in the sidesand link, and means on the bracket member extending between the sideportions thereof for preventing downward movement of the front and rearends of the link.

3. A hinge for connecting a tail gate to a truck body, comprising a linkpivotally connected to the gate and extending forwardly therefrom, meanson the body for supporting the link against downward movement relativeto the body, the said link having spaced apertures forwardly of itspivotal connection with the gate, and means for selective engagementwith the said apertures for mounting the link rigidly or pivotally withrespect to the body.

4. A hinge device for connecting a tail gate to a truck body, comprisinga link pivotally connected at one end to the gate and extendingforwardly therefrom, a bracket member secured to the truck body andhaving means for receiving a forward end portion of the link means rigidwith respect to the body engaging the underside of that portion of thelink within the bracket member to thereby support the link againstdownward movement with respect to said body, the said bracket member andlink having forwardly and rearwardly spaced registering apertures, and apin for selective insertion in the said apertures to pivotally mount thelink for upward swinging movement at its forward end or rigidly mountthe link and restrain the same against such movement,

5. A gate hinge for use on a dump truck having a tail gate and a sidemember forming a part of the truck body, comprising a bracket membersecured to a rear corner portion of the side member and recesseddownwardly therein to lie flush with the upper surface of the sidemember, a link pivotally connected at one end to the gate and extendingforwardly therefrom alongside the bracket member, means for pivotallymounting the link to the bracket member, means also for rigidly mountingthe link with respect to the bracket member, the said link being adaptedto lie flush with the upper edge of the bracket member when rigidlymounted thereto.

6. A gate hinge for a truck body having a tail gate, comprising asubstantially U-shaped bracket secured to the body and including spaced,longitudinally extending side portions defining a channel openingupwardly and rearwardly, a link pivotally connected at one end to thegate and extending forwardly therefrom into said channel and supportedby the bracket against downward displacement, and means for pivotally orrigidly mounting the link at its forward end portion in the channel, thesaid sides of the bracket member engaging the sides of the link to bracethe same against transverse movements.

7. A hinge for connecting a tail gate to a truck body, comprising a linkpivotally connected at a rear end to the tail gate and extendingforwardly therefrom, a rigid member on the body engaging the lower edgeand at least one side of the forward portion of the link, meansengageable with a forward end of the link and supporting the link forupward swinging movement with respect to the body, and means selectivelyengageable with the link for restraining the same against said upwardswinging movement,

8. A hinge mounting for the tail gate of a truck body comprising a pairof parallel links pivotally connected at rear ends to the upper cornersof the gate and extending forwardly therefrom for normal restingpositions upon adjacent side walls of the truck body, said constructionpermitting the gate to swing on an axis extending through said pivotconnections without moving the links from their normal resting position,means for pivotally connecting the forward ends of the links to thetruck body whereby the gate and links may swing on an axis that isspaced forwardly from said first mentioned axis, and means effective tolock the links in their aforesaid resting positions upon the side wallsto thereby prevent the swinging movements of the links with respect tothe truck body without interfering with the swinging movement of thegate on the first mentioned axis.

9. A hinge mounting for the tail gate of a truck body comprising a pairof parallel links pivotally connected at rear ends to the upper cornersof the gate and extending forwardly therefrom for normal restingpositions upon adjacent side walls of the truck body, said constructionpermitting the gate to swing on an axis extending through said pivotconnections without moving the links from their normal resting position,means for pivotally connecting the forward ends of the links to thetruck body whereby the gate and links may swing on an axis that isspaced forwardly from said first mentioned axis, means effective to lockthe links in their aforesaid resting positions upon the side walls tothereby prevent the swinging movements of the links with respect to thetruck body while permitting the swinging movement of the gate on thefirst mentioned axis, and means for selectively locking the gate againstswinging movements on the said first mentioned axis and with respect tothe links while said links are free to swing about the aforesaidforwardly located axis on the truck body.

10. A hinge mounting for the tail gate of a truck body comprising a pairof parallel links pivotally connected at rear ends to the upper cornersof the gate, brackets mounted on the truck body and having means forengaging lower edge portions of the links, the said links extendingforwardly from the gate for normal resting positions in the brackets andsupporting the gate for swinging movement about said rear end pivotalconnections with the links, means for pivotally connecting forward endsof the links to the brackets to permit swinging movements of the linksin vertical planes with respect to the brackets, means effective to lockthe links against the aforesaid upward swinging movements with respectto the bracket, and means effective to lock said rear end connectionsbetween the links and gate against pivotal action when said links arepivotally connected to the brackets.

JOSEPH F. JELINEK. EMMET OREILLY.

